USA > Indiana > Knox County > History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present; with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. ; together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government > Part 13
USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present; with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. ; together with an extended history of the colonial days of Vincennes, and its progress down to the formation of the state government > Part 13
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to have been cultivated as the former; survey the same. For George Rogers Clark, three hundred and twenty arpents on the north side of the Wabash, in the grand prairie of the little vil- lage, beginning on the river, by a court grant in the year 1781; survey the same. For Antoine Marechall, two arpents by forty on the west of the village, and joining the lower prairie, begin- ning on the Wabash and running back to the Cathalinette swamp, on the east to Andrew Montpleseur, and on the west to William Page, by purchase from Andrew Coder, to whom it was assigned by the Commandant Racine twenty years past; survey the same. Guilliam Page, two arpents by forty, joining the lower prairie, beginning on the Wabash and running back to the Cathalinette swamp, one side to Coder, another to vacant lands, granted to him by the commandant, Mr. St. Marie; survey the same. Lau- rent Barsadon, one lot in town, twelve toises by twenty-five, join- ing Cardinal on one side, and Dubois on the other, by purchase from Turner Vachet, who held from Andrew St. Dezier, who possessed by exchange with Mr. Brouillette; to be surveyed, but the right of Brouillette must be determined before a deed will is- sue. One other lot, twenty-five toises square, by purchase from Dubois, who purchased from Louis Browne in 1773, one side Barsadon's land, another to Bouche, and two others to streets; this also may be surveyed, but Browne's title must be ascertained before a deed can issue. The heirs of Peter Barrackman, four hundred arpents on the waters of the river Du Chien, granted by the court the 10th of March, 1782, to John Cardine; by him sold to St. Pierre, the curé of Illinois, and by him assigned to Eliza- beth, the wife of Peter Barrackman; survey the same. Also one other tract of four hundred arpents on the waters of the river Du Chien, granted by the court the 10th of March, 1782, to Louis Car- dine, by him assigned to St. Pierre, and by St. Pierre to Eliz- abeth, the wife of Peter Barrackman; survey the same. The heirs of Peter Barrackman claim, also, four hundred acres more upon the waters of the river Du Chien, adjoining the before named tracts, by a grant from the court, the 10th of May, 1785; as there were early and considerable improvements on this tract, two hun- dred acres may be surveyed to satisfy the claim. They claim, also, one lot in the back part of the town, twenty-five toises
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square, by a court grant of 1785, which is to be surveyed, the same having been considerably improved. Peter Barrackman, Jr., claims a lot joining the same, granted also in 1785, upon which are considerable improvements; if it does not exceed the common size of the lots it is to be surveyed. Phillip Catt claims four hundred arpents taken up by permission, and an order of court for survey of the same in 1785 in favor of Christian Holk, from whom he has purchased some small improvements, which were early made upon this place; therefore fifty acres may be surveyed to satisfy the same. Robert Day claims a lot in the rear of Vincennes, twenty-five toises square, in virtue of a court grant of 1785; if there are improvements upon this lot it may be surveyed. William Howell claims a lot, under the same authority as the former, of twenty-five toises. Jacob Howell claims a lot of twenty-five toises, situated and circum- stanced as William Howell's; they may both be surveyed if they have been improved. Nicholas Chappard, two arpents on the Wabash, south of the village, and running back to the Cathali- nette swamp, one side to Lalemere, by an old grant from St. Marie; survey the same. Isaac Miner, four arpents by forty on the north side of the Wabash, at the little village, by a grant of the court, in December, 1783, to Henry Spoch, conveyed by him through his attorney, Antoine Gamelin, to Ann Collins, widow of Moses Henry, and now the wife of Robert Johnson, and by Rob- ert Johnson to said Miner; survey the same. Antoine Lalemere, two arpents by forty, joining Chappard's tract, and running back to the Cathalinette, by an old grant from St. Marie; survey the same. Daniel Smith, four arpents by forty, at the Rock, by a court grant of 1783, to Bonday, and sold by him, through his attorney, Gamelin, to Levrie, and by him to Murphy, and by Murphy to the said Smith; survey the same. Alexander Vallee claims four arpents by forty on the Wabash, below the Rock, joining on one side to Latulippe, by a grant from the court in 1785; some small improvements having been made, survey, to satisfy the claim, twenty-five acres.
"Margaret Bolon, widow of Antoine Marie, claims four arpents by forty, on the Wabash, bounded on the southwest, to her hus- band, by a grant of 1785, from the court to her for services in
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
interpreting the Indian language or tongue; unless some improve- ments can be proved, or the case be a most special one, it is not probable this claim can be granted. The one other tract of sim- ilar quantity and adjoining, claimed by her as granted unto her husband, is exactly alike circumstanced. John Day claims a lot of twenty-five toises square, back of the town, by a court grant of 1785, which is to be surveyed if it has been improved. Will- iam Morrison, four arpents by forty, north side of the Wabash, at the little village, granted to Robert Jennings in the year 1783, and by him assigned to Jones, and by him to the said Morrison; survey the same. Joseph Baird claims three several tracts of four arpents by forty, each, said to have been granted by the court in 1783 to Nicholas Joseph and Alexis Edeline. Query: Were they then minors? were they capable of improving lands ? or was the grant intended as an imposition ? The court never possessed the right to make grants, and all confirmations, on or before 1783 (after Virginia had assumed the government), must be passed to the account of generosity. It is a pity those claims were not before exhibited, and they must be better understood before they are confirmed. Samuel Baird, one arpent by forty on the north side of the Wabash, one side to Connoyer, and the other to Joseph Bresaid, by purchase from St. Jean, called Detard, who purchased from Louis Lemay on the 15th of October, 1787; Lemay's title to be proved previous to an order of survey. Ann Dalton, wife of T. Dalton, four arpents by forty on the north side of the Wabash, by a grant in 1783 (supposed to be a court grant), and assigned by T. Dalton, on the 11th of May, 1784, to Adam Shoemaker, and by him to Daniel Barton, who is supposed to be the claimant if he has not forfeited by absence; it must be surveyed. The heirs of Jean Baptiste Beaux Chein, 160 arpents of land joining the donation; survey the same agreeably to old boundaries, it appearing to have been very early with the family. The heirs of Daniel Sullivan claim four arpents by forty in the river Du Chien prairie, where the station formerly stood. It ap- pears from Mr. Decker's testimony that the written claim to this land is supposed to have been lost or mislaid at the time Col. Sargent formerly examined the claims at Vincennes. Every paper relating to the lands in that quarter, which was presented, has
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been recorded or entered; there were very many from Sullivan but this is not in the number; there would be risk in ordering it to be surveyed for the heirs at this time. George Catt, two ar- pents by forty on the river Du Chien prairie, by concession of the government twenty-five years past to Francis Lamar, and who ex- changed the same with Pierre Gramaud, who sold it to Luke Decker, from whom the said Catt purchased it; survey the same. Lawrence Slouter, four arpents by forty, granted by the court in 1781, on the north side of the Wabash, one side to Le Grand; survey the same. Moses Decker, 400 arpents between White River and Du Chien; although there appears to have been early improvements upon this tract, yet, as no authority is produced for entry or occupancy, it cannot be surveyed. Abraham Decker, Jr., 400 arpents in the White River prairie, by a court grant of 1784, and joining to Isaac Decker. It being proved that there were considerable and early improvements upon this tract, 200 acres must be surveyed to satisfy the claim. Patrick Simpson's claim of seven and a half arpents by forty, upon which he lives, being an old grant to Racine, from whose heirs he purchased it, you must survey it; and, if I mistake not, this, your application for the same, is a second, and this also my second warrant of survey for Simpson's land. This claim of Simpson's is the last you have transmitted me, and, I trust, I am now through this disagreeable business. I have endeavored to do justice to the United States and also to individuals, and to deal generously by them. I sup- pose copies of the claims you have transmitted me are kept; upon those where I have observed silence a total rejection must be un- derstood; and amongst them for such as were in the donation tract, notwithstanding small improvements which may have been evidenced, it was out of my power to order the smallest compen- sation, though I did this, in one or two instances, at Vincennes, where I had so pledged myself, previous to the order for laying off the tract as a matter of general accommodation. In all cases where I have conditionally ordered surveys, it will be necessary that you state to me with your returns that the conditions have been complied with; that is, that improvements are made where such are required, and that the claim of conveyance, etc., is pro- duced to make titles complete. "I am, sir, your humble servant,
"W. SARGENT."
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS OF IMPORTANCE.
At Vincennes, January 19, 1802, William Henry Harrison wrote to James Madison, Secretary of State, that the court of Todd in 1779 and onward assumed the right to grant land to all applicants; that they did this for a time without opposition, and concluded that, as they were not interrupted, they could continue as they pleased; that finally the whole country, to which the In- dian title was supposed to be extinguished, was divided between the members of the court and perhaps others, and that on the day of voting each member absented himself from the consideration of his own case that it might appear the act of his fellows only; that the tract thus disposed of extended on the Wabash River twenty-four leagues from La Pointe Coupeé to the mouth of White River, and forty leagues west and thirty east, excluding the land only surrounding Vincennes, which had been before granted to the amount of 20,000 to 30,000 acres; that the authors of this division soon perceived, if not at first, that their course was ille- gal and the scheme was abandoned, but was revived a few years before 1802, and portions of the land purchased by speculators and sold fraudulently to Eastern settlers; that upward of 500 persons had settled, or would soon settle upon these lands in con- sequence of these frauds, having bought their claims sometimes for a song-a rifle or a poor horse having been given in exchange for 1,000 acres; that the owners pretended that the court had ample au- thority from Virginia to grant the land, and had all necessary documents to validate the claims; that speculators had gone to Virginia, had secured a deed for a large tract, had had it recorded and duly authenticated, and had then made their fraudulent transfers to the credulous.
It was a long time before the results of these fraudulent prac- tices were quieted and settlers felt that their claims were se- cured. All claims were made under the acts of Congress of Au- gust 29, 1788, and March 3, 1791. By act of Congress of March 26, 1804, claim commissioners were appointed to examine all claims to land at Vincennes. They were divided as follows :* First, claims which had been decided on and confirmed by the governors; second, claims founded upon Indian purchases and
*American State Papers. Public Lands, Vol. I.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
unusual grants made by the court. Under the former division were, first, claims founded under ancient grants or possessions under the French or British Governments; second, claims founded on supposed grants from the courts; third, claims to the dona- tions of 400 acres as heads of families on or before 1783; fourth, claims to the donation of 100 acres as militiamen en- rolled in the militia August 1, 1790, and had done militia duty. It required many years to clear the clouds from the titles.
The ordinance of 1787 was passed August 13, and on the follow- ing October 5 Congress elected Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, and Winthrop Sargent, secretary, and eleven days later appointed Samuel H. Parsons, John Armstrong and James M. Varnum, judges. January 16, 1788, Armstrong resigned and John C. Symmes was chosen. In the following summer St. Clair, Varnum and Parsons, at Marietta, Ohio, enacted a number of laws which were not approved by Congress, as the governor and judges, in their legislative capacity, had only authority to adopt existing laws from the codes of the original States, and could not enact new laws .* St. Clair was reappointed governor, and Winthrop Sargeant, secretary, August 20, 1789, and on the same day S. H. Parsons, J. C. Symmes and William Barton, were reappointed judges. George Turner soon succeeded Barton, and in March, 1790, Rufus Putnam succeeded Parsons (deceased). Return J. Meigs succeeded Turner in 1798. Joseph Gillman succeeded Putnam in 1796. In July, 1790, Sargent, sec- retary and acting governor, Symmes and Turner met at Vin- cennes and enacted a few laws, one to curtail or prevent the sale of liquor, suppress gambling, etc., and later enacted others; but these laws were all void ab initio, as the officers had no power to enact laws-could only adopt from the codes of the older States- though the laws thus enacted by them were enforced to a greater or less extent for some time. The Maxwell code, published in Cincinnati in 1795, was a selection of laws from the older States, which code soon drove from existence the so-called enactments of the Territorial Legislature. Knox County was formed during the spring or early summer of 1790. In 1796 the Northwest Terri- tory comprised four counties: Washington, with county seat at
*Notes on the Northwest Territory .- Barton.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
Mariette, Ohio; Hamilton, with seat at Cincinnati; St. Clair, with seat at Kaskaskia, and Knox, with seat at Vincennes. Samuel Baird did much of the early surveying at Vincennes. All claims under unlawful grants were rejected, but persons who had made improvements under the impression that Todd and the court had authority to grant the lands were given the right to pre-empt such lands. The grantors charged $4 for each grant, and seemed to have the question of perquisites more in view than the right to grant, while grantees wanted large bodies of land for little con- sideration .* In 1742 the French secured from the Indian tribes a grant of the lands at Vincennes and vicinity "lying between the point above (Pointe Coupeé en haut) and the river Blanche below the village, with as much land on both sides of the Wabash as might be comprised within the said limits.+ In 1763 this coun- try passed to the British Government, and in 1783, at the close of the Revolution, to the United States. From about the end of the year 1785 to about two years after the treaty of Greenville (1797), Vincennes was in the center of a hostile Indian country. Farms could not be cultivated in safety, and the inhabitants, though many were connected by ties of blood to the Indians, were encompassed by daily perils.
*Letter of Winthrop Sargent.
+Petition of Pierre Gamelin and others to Congress November 20, 1793.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
CHAPTER VII.
PREPARED BY Z. T. EMERSON.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-CONCERNING THE NORTHWEST TERRI- TORY-FORMATION OF TOWNSIJIPS-PUBLIC BUILDINGS-RAILROADS AND OTHER HIGHWAYS-THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY-THE MED- ICAL SOCIETY-THE PAUPERS-FINANCES-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS- OUTSTANDING BONDS-ELECTION RETURNS-POPULATION-COUNTY OFFICERS.
A S is generally known all the Northwest Territory fell to Vir- ginia by her chartered rights after the close of the Revo- lutionary war. But owing to difficulties among the States Virginia agreed, January 2, 1781, that on certain conditions she would cede all her claims to said territory to Congress; among other things she reserved the same rights for her French and Canadian set- tlers that they enjoyed under the laws of Virginia. Congress agreed to accept this proposition September 13, 1783, and Octo- ber 20, 1783, the Legislature agreed to make the gift, and in March of the following year appointed Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe, delegates in Congress to make the deed. This territory was to be divided into States of not less than 100 miles square, nor more than 150 miles square, being subject to physical conditions, and each State was to be guaran- teed a Republican form of government. In 1787 the celebrated ordinance for the government of the Northwest Territory was passed. Gen. Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor of the ter- ritory. He served from 1788 to 1800. Winthrop Sargent was his secretary. Kaskaskia and Vincennes were then the two main military posts. In January, 1790, Gen. St. Clair sent Winthrop Sargent to Vincennes to take military command, and to lay off a county. The county of Knox was accordingly formed some time between the date of his arrival at Vincennes and the succeeding July, 1790. Soon after his arrival an address was presented to him. It was dated Vincennes, December 10, 1790, and addressed "To the Hon. Winthrop Sargent, Esq., Secretary of the terri-
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tory of the United States north of the Ohio, and vested with all the powers of governor and commander-in-chief." The letter expressed great pleasure at his coming ; satisfaction at the recent change in government; great loyalty to their new master; paid a glowing tribute to Maj. Hamtramck, his predecessor; expressed implicit confidence in his generosity and magnanimity, and asked him to convey to the President their good wishes. This Sargent agreed to present to his "august President." It was signed by Antoine Gamelin, Pierre Gamelin, Peard Gamelin, John Johnson, Lewis Edeline, - Dick, François Bosseron, François Vigo and Henry V. Derburg.
The county of Knox was named in honor of Gen. Henry Knox, Secretary of War. It then embraced all of Indiana and Mich- igan. In 1798 Wayne County was cut off of the northern part of Indiana, and included Michigan with Detroit as the seat. May 7, 1800, Congress made two distinct Territories, with Vincennes as the seat of the one and Gen. Harrison as governor. In 1802 Clark and Randolph Counties were formed. In 1805 Dear- born was formed. These counties seem to have been formed by proclamation as no record can be found showing their divisions. The Territory of Michigan was cut off in 1805, and Illinois in 1809. Jefferson and Franklin Counties were separated in 1810. Knox County still embraced almost half of the State, and the pruning went on.
FORMATION OF TOWNSHIPS.
The county, as it is now limited, contains an area of 540 sec- tions or square miles. Knox County has never experienced the contentions of other counties in locating her county seat, as Vin- cennes was chosen while under the control of Congress, and its eligibility has never been seriously questioned.
In 1791 the court of quarter sessions ordered the county to be divided into two townships, Vincennes and Clarksville. Vin- cennes embraced all the territory from the Ohio River on the south to the northern line, lying between St. Clair County on the west and Blue River on the east. Its symbol was the letter "V." Clarksville Township embraced the remainder of the county; its symbol was the letter "C." An order was made in 1801, at the court of quarter sessions, by James Johnson, Antoine Marechall
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
and Ephraim Jordan, "esquires justices," that two townships should be laid off as follows, to-wit: "The township of Vincennes shall be composed of the village of Vincennes, the upper and lower prairie and the commons, and shall be known and called by the name and style of Vincennes Township." "Ordered, that the second township shall be bounded by the road leading from the town of Vincennes to Harbin's Ferry, beginning at the point where the road crosses the line of the township of Vincennes; thence along that road until it strikes the division line between the county of Knox and the county of Clark, and that it be named and styled Harrison Township." It, of course, was named in honor of Gen. Harrison. "Ordered, that the third township shall be bounded by the said road until it strikes the said division line between the counties of Knox and Clark, and should be known by the name and style of Palmyra Township." It further ordered that no respect should be paid to boundaries heretofore laid off.
Vincennes Township at that time embraced the western part of the township, Harrison all to the southeast and Palmyra all to the east and northeast. In 1808 Busseron had been laid off, and embraced the northern part of the county. It was named in honor of Maj. François Bosseron. The next township was Widner, the record of which is lost, but it was about 1812. It was named in honor of John Widner, and embraced the greater part of Vigo Township. Between the last named date and 1823 Johnson and Decker Townships were laid off; the rec- ord of these is also missing. In 1838 it was ordered "that part of Harrison Township lying south of the township line between Harrison and Palmyra on the east side of Pond Creek, running down said creek to fractional Sections Nos. 9 and 16; thence east to White River, be attached to Palmyra."
The court at the September term formed a new township, with the following boundaries: "Beginning at the juncture of the river Du Chien; thence up the river to the township line of Decker; thence north to Vincennes Commons; thence west to the ditch; thence down the ditch to Grand Coupeé; thence up Coupeé to the Wabash; thence down the Wabash to the mouth of the Embar- ras, the same to be called Uno Township, and the place of elec- tion to be St. Thomas' Church. In 1846 a material change was
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
made in the boundaries of this township. This township was done away with in a few years. These two explanations were given by a gray-haired man for the action of the commissioners- one given was that there were not enough who could read and write legally qualified to fill an election board; and another given was that a great number of farmers were in the habit of driving their hogs into this township to feed, and so few of the hogs were ever driven out that it came to be known as "hog thief .township," and the better class of citizens petitioned to the board to have the township organization abandoned.
COURT HOUSE.
From 1801 to 1807 courts were held at the house of Laurient Bazadon, corner of Bradney and Second Streets. Grand jury rooms were sometimes furnished elsewhere. The allowances for Bazadon for 1801 were $1.20 a day when fuel was needed, and 75 cents a day on other occasions. In 1807 Antoine Maréchall was allowed $100 for the use of his house for a court room. Steps were now taken to build a new court house. A com- mittee consisting of Robert Buntin and John Rice Jones pur- chased the two lots where Judge Niblack's residence now stands, on condition that a good title could be given. This was in 1807. The price paid was $50. The justices immediately advertised for 100,000 brick and eighty perches of stone. William Lindsey received the contract for the brick at $2.50 per thousand; Will- iam Dunica received $50 for the shingles, also $100 for scant- ling. The committee on court house were William Wallace, Jacob Kuykendall, Robert Buntin and Peter Jones. The house was completed in 1813, and its completion was celebrated by a banquet at the Lasselle House, where the notaries were wined and dined. The total cost of the house was $3,156.413. The tax duplicate then showed only $1,759.55 taxes for the year.
However, in 1808, the inhabitants of the town entered a pro- test against building the court house so far away from the central part of the town. The house served till 1826, when the question of building a new structure began to be considered. In July, 1826, Samuel Langdon, Joseph Chambers, Joseph McClure, John Black and William Raper, a committee, reported that the old
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
court house ought to be sold and a new one . erected. This was in July, 1826. A committee of David L. Bonner, Benjamin V. Beckes and John Moore were appointed to receive bids and select a "scite" for a new building. A new committee was appointed in 1830, who reported that the court house was safe for the pres- ent, and recommended $300 worth of repairs to be made on the old house, which act was accordingly done.
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